Post Sale Update: After 11 bids on eBay, this CCM 604 did not meet reserve at $2,551.09. The CCM 604 is one of the very rare models from Clews Competition Motorcycles (CCM). Born out of the failure of BSA’s Competition Department, CCM was founded by Alan Clews and became known for building the only four-stroke MX bikes that could keep …
1966 BSA Thunderbolt A65
Post Sale Update: After being relisted on eBay, this BSA Thunderbolt sold for $4,600. The BSA Thunderbolt, despite the aggressive, sporty name, was designed to be a touring bike from the Birmingham Small Arms company. That’s right – BSA (which at its peak, was the largest motorcycle producer in the world) was a originally a gun manufacturer. Guns and bikes …
The Original Superbike – 1950 Vincent Black Shadow
Post-Sale Update: After 30 bids, this Vincent Black Shadow sold on eBay for an incredible $87,674! The Vincent Black Shadow needs no introduction for motorcycle fans. For many, the essence of this bike is tied to a single photograph – Rollie Free breaking the American motorcycle land speed record in 1948 on the Bonneville Salt Flats:
63 Years, 168 Miles – 1950 Matchless G9
Post Sale Update: After 4 bids on eBay, this Matchless G9 did not meet reserve at $10,101 The Matchless G9, almost identical to the AJS Model 20, were built produced for 10 years starting in 1948, and represent Associated Motorcycles’ attempt to produce the heavyweight parallel twins that seemed to be coming out of every British motorcycle company during the …
1960 Velocette Viper
The Velocette Viper was the little brother of the Velocette line, and the focus of our first international feature! Though it was never as popular as the Venom or Thruxton models, the 350cc-powered Viper still stayed in production for nearly 15 years.
1958 Ariel Square Four
Post-Sale Update: After 16 bids on eBay, this bike did not meet reserve at $17,550. The Ariel Square Four design goes all the way back to 1931, soon after Edward Turner designed an interesting new four-cylinder motorcycle engine formed from two OHC parallel twins. The design became known as the square four engine, and lent its name to this Ariel …
Euro-Market – 1991 Triumph Trophy 1200
Post Sale Update: This Triumph Trophy 1200 sold for just $1,600 on eBay. The Triumph Trophy 1200 was the debut model of Triumph’s new factory in Hinckley, as part of a multi-million dollar revitalization attempt. Setting their Japanese competition as the benchmark, Triumph tried to modernize themselves by increasing their quality and design standards.
1967 BSA Lightning
The BSA Lightning was one of three bikes BSA was cranking out in late 1960s. These three bikes played different roles – the Thunderbird was a touring rig, the Spitfire was a supersport bike, and this lovely Lightning was the ‘tweener – more of an all-around sport bike.
1969 BSA Firebird
The BSA Firebird was the swansong of the Birmingham Small Arms company, before the motorcycle division went belly up in 1973. Though it’s not as popular as the Gold Star, this 650cc Scrambler was arguably the best bike BSA made, and in some eyes, this was the ultimate version of the original dual-sport machine. By all accounts, this Beezer should …
1970 Triumph Tiger Daytona
This 1970 Triumph Tiger Daytona, also known as the T100R, was named after a Triumph win in the Daytona 200 race. Many people though that this was a better bike than it’s bigger brother, as it had nearly all the power but a much lighter chassis which was easier to maneuver. Cycle World called this bike a “Jekyll and Hyde”: …
1957 Triumph Thunderbird Sidecar
This Triumph Thunderbird 650 is already rare by itself. But with a sidecar on the LEFT side? Utterly fantastic. The Thunderbird name has shown up on 3 distinct models of the Triumph line since 1949 – this 6T model is from the original series. The Triumph Thunderbird was created as the firm’s stab at the American market – they bored …
1974 Norton Commando Interstate
The Norton Commando was one of the most popular motorcycles ever made. For 5 straight years it was “Machine of the Year” in the UK, and even Norton themselves were surprised as the success as the engine was a pre-unit design. The Norton was well-known for rubber engine mounts (deemed an “isolastic” systems) that tremendously cut down vibrations. This is …